


Not Alone Anymore

by onihunter305



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Abuse, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Post Episode: S15E15, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 01:10:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18021965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onihunter305/pseuds/onihunter305
Summary: Levi Schmitt had always felt socially alone. In high school he was mostly bullied by his peers, in college he was mostly ignored by his colleagues, and in his internship he was mostly mocked by his superiors.  All of that started changing when he met Nico Kim. Unfortunately it took a traumatic event for him to recognize the change.





	1. Who He Was

Levi Schmitt was no stranger to bullies. On the contrary, they were a constant companion all through his formative school years and undergraduate college years. It wasn’t until he was accepted to medical school that people ran out of time to bully him, or they just decided he wasn’t worth the effort anymore.

But he understood it. 

As he roamed empty hallways alone, he understood it.

He was a nerd. He liked things that were not popular and were often seen as weird by his peers. He was short and easy to overpower. He didn’t have a lot of friends to back him up; and the ones he did have got it just as bad as him so they tended to disappear when danger came around.

He didn’t condone them abandoning him, leaving him alone to take the brunt of the bullies wrath, but he understood why.

Getting an internship at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital seemed like a turning point in his life. He had made it past all the bullies and people who put him down and doubted him and he had survived. He had come out stronger and more determined to prove them all wrong. To prove to them that he was better than how they treated him.

But that didn’t last long.

Misfortune and unprecedented circumstances seemed to plague him and it began to feel like high school all over again, very few friends but plenty of people to mock him. Even amongst his fellow interns he found himself often playing the role of the black sheep from the get go.

And he understood that too. They were all trying to make an impression during their time there. He just wished it wasn't at his expense sometimes. Or that being an intern didn't mean that throwing someone under the bus sometimes made you look good.

Unfortunately he also gave them plenty of ammo: Dropping his glasses in a patient... passing out from giving blood in the OR... his general bumbling behaviors through the day. Although he was an adult, he felt like he was back to being the kid that no one wanted to pick in gym class, that no one trusted on their team and that very few people wanted to be friends with. And as much as he understood it, it sucked.

He felt like he couldn’t find solid ground to stand on, like his footing just kept slipping and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

Until Doctor Nico Kim came into his life.

Doctor Nico Kim was the first person to look at him and see beyond “glasses” and “blood bank” and just see him. He seemed to want to talk to him. Seemed to want to get to know him. Seemed interested in him. Sought him out in a crowd and purposefully placed himself within close proximity of him. 

All of these things didn’t add up for Levi. All his life, no one wanted to be with him, just him.

He really meant what he said in the ambulance the day of the windstorm. When Nico kissed him, he felt the opposite of shame. All of a sudden it felt like he found a foothold on the side of a sheer cliff and he had the opportunity to start pulling himself up, instead of always dangling in the same place.

Things that had never made sense to him before all of this, suddenly did. There wasn’t anything wrong with him. He was finally exactly who he was meant to be. That was such a freeing feeling.

Standing in the OR over Natasha with Dr. Grey, Dr. Shepherd, and Dr. DeLuca, Levi no longer felt like hiding his new found confidence. With each word he shared during his coming out speech he felt lighter. He truly felt the most “him” he had ever been. And the acceptance and love he received from his colleagues in that moment warmed him to his core. For the first time in his life he felt as though he was accepted for who he was, instead of just tolerated.

He still may not have had many friends, but he was finally happy being who he was as long as he was able to be that person with Nico Kim by his side. With Nico by his side, he didn't need anyone else.

Or so he thought.


	2. Night Out

Levi was just coming off of a 20 hour shift and although he wanted nothing more than to go home to his boyfriend’s bedroom and sleep for the equivalent amount of time, his fellow interns were determined to get him out and about. They complained that since he started seeing Nico he never came out anymore. They weren’t wrong, but when given the choice between worshiping the Adonis-like body of his boyfriend or nursing a beer in a crowded bar, it wasn’t a difficult choice at all.

Needless to say, that was how he found himself sitting at a high-hat waiting for Taryn to come back with the next round. His gaze was drawn to the door when he heard the unmistakable sound of Dr. Link’s voice sounding through the room. Eyes widened as none other than the man who occupied most of his waking, and sleeping, thoughts walked in behind him.

Levi knew Nico shift was gong to end at the same time as his that night, and they had both been looking forward to curling up in a real bed and sleeping the aches and exhaustion away, but it seems the fates had different plans. Nico appeared to have been dragged to Joe’s Bar by Link, probably for the same reason Levi’s friends had dragged him out. As someone who had never had a lot of friends, Levi didn't necessarily understand how he could be wanted or missed but he knew he should he happy that he was still invited out places even after saying "no" so many times.

Sliding off of his chair he began to make his way towards Nico to intercept him. Qadri recognized Levi’s attempt to leave their table and knocked his shoulder and stared him down with a knowing and disapproving look.

“Don’t even think about it Schmitt, we haven’t seen you outside of the hospital since last year!” She said, no real malice behind her words as she joked about the changing of the calendar year.

“I’ll be back, I promise, I just want to say hi. I haven’t seen him since Thursday!” Levi defended, saying the day of the week like it was eons ago instead of a mere 2 days.

“You better, or I’m sending Helm to get you. And she won’t hold back from embarrassing you in front of tall dark and handsome there,” Parker said, joining in once he realized what Levi was attempting to do.

“I get it, I get it. I’ll be right back,” Levi said, making a big show of leaving his beer on the table as a promise of his return.

Once his fellow interns seemed satisfied with his promise, he was finally allowed to work his way through the crowded bar towards where Link and Nico had found a small table by the wall.

It was a typical Saturday night at Joe’s, the bar was filled with hospital workers and occasional others. Levi sighed as he got pushed around a little during his attempt to swim through the sea of people. It reminded him once again why he hated going out, especially in crowded places, little guys like him seemed to get ignored and pushed around.

Eventually he pushed his way through to the small table holding the residential Ortho-Gods.

“Hey,” Levi said, awkwardly waving as he came up to the resident and fellow. They had just got their beers and cheered to a successful day of surgeries.

“Hey!” Nico said, his eyes and face lighting up at the sight of the shorter man.

“Butterflies!” Link fake coughed from next to Nico, causing the other man to shoot him a playful glare.

“Hi Dr. Lincoln,” Levi greeted, not entirely sure what was going on between the two friends but knowing it was probably all in good fun. During one of their late night conversations Nico has explained to Levi how he told Link about their relationship and that the older man was happy for them both. Although he knew the other man didn't care about their relationship, it was still very difficult for Levi to comprehend how he was supposed to act around him. Not only was the man his superior, he knew what he did after work hours and with who; nothing in Levi's life had prepared him to navigate that social minefield.

“Schmitt,” Link said with a nod of his head and his beer.

Nico smiles at their easy interaction and stood to properly greet his boyfriend. Having not seen him in 48 hours due to conflicting shifts and needing to sleep without potential distractions, had made him miss the other man immensely. He gripped Levi’s waist gently and pulled him in for a soft kiss.

Levi relaxed into the chaste kiss, pulling back slightly to rest his head on the taller man’s chest for a moment, taking in his warm and spicy scent.

“Missed you,” he mumbled softly, shutting out the world and those around him as he closed his eyes and sought shelter in Nico’s embrace.

“Missed you too,” Nico mumbles into Levi’s unkempt locks of hair, his hands resting comfortably on the small of Levi’s back as he closed his eyes and took peace in the warmth radiating off of the man in his arms.

~*~

The two men were so lost in each other’s presence that they missed the look of rage coming from a particular patron shooting back his fifth shot over at the bar. Grumbling to himself he shook his head in anger and disgust before lurking off to another part of the bar where he could quietly keep and eye on the two men and seethe in anger.

He nursed his beer slowly, his eyes trained on the two men and their disgusting display. His silent rage grew as the rest of the world faded around him.


	3. Night Out Part II

Nico and Levi’s moment together was broken up by someone loudly clearing their throat off to the left of them. Lifting his head from the solid chest Levi was met with a stern glare from his blonde haired friend.

“I believe you were supposed to come back...” she said crossing her arms and tapping her foot. On the outside she looked frustrated but Levi could hear the subtle fondness in her tone of voice.

“Do I have to?” He asked petulantly, pouting with a look that should have come to easy to someone in their mid-twenties.

“One hour, then you can go run off into the sunshine with Dr. Kim,” Helm said with a smirk.

“Do I get a say?” Link asked from his seat, now harnessing a pout of his own, not loving the idea of losing his friend after it had taken a monumental effort just to get him to come out in the first place. They had gone from spending hours together after work, nursing beers and playing guitar at the local bar, to only seeing each other at work in these past few months. Link didn’t want to admit it, but he missed his friend. Especially after the whole Grey/DeLuca debacle.

“We’re both off early Monday, we can continue then?” Nico asked, hating the idea of bailing on his friend but also hating the idea of losing precious time that both he and Levi had off.

“Only because I can see the butterflies,” Link conceded waving his hand above his head as if it point them out. “But I retain custody for this hour so off with you!”

Levi chuckled but released his hold on the taller man. “See you in an hour,” he said, stealing one more kiss before turning and walking back to his friends with Helm.

~*~

Levi tried to be “in the moment” when he got back. He tried to focus on listening to his friends laugh over the latest between Dr. Grey and Dr. DeLuca, gush over exciting surgeries they had watched or assisted on, and discussed the overall gossip of the hospital. Despite his best effort he was struggling. Between his exhaustion over his last shift and his excitement over getting to go home with Nico in (he subtly checked his watch) 53 minutes, he found it was almost impossible to focus. Eventually his friends were able to draw him in and he slowly lost track of the minutes as they ticked by.

Before he realize, the hour had almost passed. He glanced at his watch as he emptied his glass and realized he had about 2 minutes left in the hour. Standing he began to put on his jacket.

“You did better than I thought you would,” Helm said, catching his movements out of the corner of her eye. “This was nice,” she continued and Levi felt his heart tighten. His face turned serious for a moment as he contemplated how long it had been since he had allocated time for these new friends in his life, the first set of friends he really had since his high school D&D friends.

“We’ll do this again soon. Sorry I’ve been a little MIA recently,” he said, his hand reaching out to rest on her upper arm. Levi wasn’t used to people wanting him around or missing him when he was gone. Sure he had his Dungeon and Dragon friends from the debate team, but if he stopped inviting them over or disappeared for a while to do something else, Levi wasn’t sure they would have truly missed him or even noticed his disappearance. Now that he was seeing how much the interns cared and missed him, he was going to make more of an effort to be present for them.

“Good!” She said, clearly forgiving any prior incidents of being blown off with a smile. “Now go; I’m sure Dr. Kim eagerly awaits!”

“Bye guys,” he called out, awkwardly waving as he turned towards where he last saw Nico and Link sitting. As he approached their table he could tell they were immersed in an important discussion. Link’s arms were very animated and Levi could tell his harsh whispers were not in a joking manner. As he stopped a few feet from the table he hesitated to interrupt whatever was going on between the two friends.

Link was mid-vent about his extreme frustrations over the whole Grey/DeLuca drama to Nico, harping particularly on the 'Valentine’s Day Doomsday' as he was referencing it, when he noticed Levi’s presence. He stopped mid sentence, not wanting his dirty laundry exposed any more than it already was in the gossip driven hospital. Nico noticed his abrupt halt and turned to see Levi standing behind him, looking very sheepish and hesitant. Knowing Link needed to finish his vent to finally feel lighter, and being the good friend Nico believed himself to be, he reached into his coat pocket and retrieved his keys.

“Can you go start and warm up my car? I’ll be out in 5, maybe 10 minutes, tops,” Nico said, hoping Levi wouldn’t question it and just go with it.

“Oh sure, no problem! See you soon,” Levi said quickly, eager to get out of what felt like a very uncomfortable situation. He grabbed the keys, his hand lingering for a moment as he felt the rush that came with skin contact with Nico Kim. Even after all this time the taller man’s touch never failed to get a rise from him.

Walking out the door of Joe’s, Levi immediately tightened his coat around him and zipped up his coat to the top.

As he turned towards where he could see Nico’s car parked off to the side the first thing he felt was the biting cold on his cheeks. The second thing he felt was someone grabbing his shoulders.


	4. Darkness Descends

For a split second Levi thought Nico has caught up with him and a flutter of excitement went through him. When those hands roughly pulled him back slightly, that flutter vanished and was quickly replaced by fear. Before he could fully realize what was happening he felt his body propelled forward into the brick exterior of the building. Bright pain flashed behind his eyes as his temple crashed into the cold, hard, building. As his head bounced off the wall Levi felt the world tilt as he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

Looking up Levi felt dazed and confused as his eyes attempted to focus on an unknown man standing over him.

“Who...” he began, only to be cut off.

“Disgusting faggot,” the man spat, winding back his leg before kicking it forward into Levi’s abdomen over and over again. Stars exploded behind his clinched eyes as his hands wrapped around his waist protectively, trying to ward off any additional blows. Levi could barely recognize what was happening as that leg was drawn back again and brought forward, this time finding its mark on his unguarded face. Levi could feel his nose break as hot blood rushed down his face, mixing with the tears of pain that he could no longer hold back.

The attack felt like it went on forever. All Levi could register was the pain that seemed to grow with every blow. It felt like it would never end and Levi longed for the darkness of unconsciousness just to get away from the sensations lighting his nerves on fire. He was no stranger to being beaten, having gone through a a public high school in an urban city area had meant he handled his fair share of bullies and ended up on the wrong end of them quite often. But this somehow felt different, he wasn't being knocked around because he was nerdy or an easy target, this time he was being beaten down on for just simply existing. 

All of this was running through his head as Levi tried to mentally prepare himself for the next blow, but it never came. He could hear shouting around him but he was having trouble concentrating enough to recognize what exactly was happening. He felt hands on him and instinctively attempted to curl his body further to protect himself; he was immensely grateful when the hands were quickly removed and he was left moaning on the cold ground.

~*~

“Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. Qadri go get Nico and Dr. Lincoln. Quick!” Taryn said, trying to quell the growing panic that was rising as she saw her friend bleeding on the ground.

~*~

Behind her Parker had pulled the drunken man off of Levi and tackled him to the ground. The man, who clearly had been over-served, was laying back dazed as Parker stood up and over him, vowing to keep an eye on the homophobic prick until someone came to take him away. Parker shook his head in dismay, he had really hoped Schmitt would be spared form homophonic-bigots during his coming out phase. He had seen the change in the man over the last few months, he saw the confidence and happiness that seemed to exude from him since the windstorm and Levi’s gay epiphany. He worried that this would be a difficult and dangerous setback for the man who was stilled curled on the ground whimpering.

Regardless he was glad they had packed it in when they did. After Levi had left to seek out Dr. Kim they had realized most of their drinks were empty and no one was interested in a refill. Shrugging on their coats they had been leaving the bar when they heard the drunken man’s hateful rhetoric and he had quickly jumped into action. It wasn’t until he had pulled the man off of his victim that they noticed it was their friend.

~*~

Taryn was kneeling on the ground at this point, trying to get Levi to recognize it was her so that he would uncurl his body and she could assess his injuries but it was as if he couldn’t hear her; he just stayed in his fetal position, shaking and whimpering in both pain and fear.

Behind her she heard the door slam open and she barely had time to be thankful before Nico was kneeling next to her.

“Levi!” He exclaimed, his heart in his throat as he got a glimpse of his boyfriend on the cold concrete. “Link, call 9-1-1,” he called back, ghosting his hands over the prone body in front of him before gently reaching out to take his hand. He felt the tremor his touch caused but was relieved when Levi allowed their fingers to touch without him flinching away.

Nico focused everything on Levi, trying to identify Levi’s injuries visually before attempting to move him in any way. He finally felt Levi squeeze his hand, seeking out comfort, and he carefully brushed back the curls on his fcae to try and reassure him.

“Levi, baby, I need you to try and relax so I can see extent of your injuries,” he said, trying to sound calm even though he was seething inside that someone dare put their hands on Levi. He was stuck somewhere in-between wanting to punch someone or something and wanting to cry.

Levi whimpered but slowly began to unclench his body as the warm hand holding his began to break through the painful haze he had fallen into. He cracked his eye open and wanted to cry in relief at the sight of the man he considered an angelic work of art.

“I know it hurts baby, and help is on the way, but I need to make sure you’re not in any serious danger,” Nico said, it was taking everything he had to try and look at this situation clinically. He could see that Levi’s nose was broken and there was matted blood in the hair above his eyebrow. The hand he wasn’t holding was curled protectively around his waist and he could see wet mud on Levi’s jacket, leading him to the conclusion that he took at least one hit there.

As Nico was doing his assessment Link was quickly relating everything he knew to the dispatcher, making sure to add that the patient was an intern at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The voice on the other line assured him they would be there momentarily before he hung up and went to join his friend on the ground. Seeing Nico fighting to hold himself together, and trying to assess how bad the damage was at the same time, broke his heart. Laying one hand gently on the other man’s shoulder he pulled him back so that he could get his attention.

“Ambulance should be here shortly, they know he’s one of us,” Link relayed. He could see the tendrils of panic deep within the fellow’s eyes. “You need to be the boyfriend now, not the doctor. Let us be his doctor,” he said gently.

There was an internal fight going on inside or Nico. He wanted to hold and reassure Levi, let him know that everything was going to be okay and that he was safe. But he also wanted to take care of him, to set his nose and check his ribs. He rationalized that he couldn’t be both, but he struggled letting one go.

“Trust me, we’ve got him,” Link whispered, maneuvering Nico away from Levi’s torso and towards his head. Nico made sure to never lose the reassuring physical contact between himself and Levi but did make an attempt to move himself in a way that allowed Link to get a better view of Levi's injuries.

Nico helped Link manipulate Levi’s body so that he was laying mostly on his back, exposing most of his visible injuries to the two doctors.

“Can you tell me what hurts Schmitt... uh... Levi. Levi can you tell me what hurts?” Link said, wondering where he should start. He could obviously see the probably broken nose and head trauma, but the internal injuries that were most likely being concealed in the mans abdominal area would be hard to assess before getting him into the hospital.

“My, ummm my head,” Levi started, the pain evident in his voice as he struggled to categorize his injuries in a clinical way. “And, my abdomen... uh... blunt trauma,” he gasped out.

“Okay shhh, don’t overexert yourself,” Nico shushed from his place at Levi’s side. He could tell speaking was hurting the smaller man, but he couldn’t decipher if it was from the pain in his head or around his abdomen.

Link was gently feeling around Levi’s abdomen when the other man let out a loud groan of pain, causing him to pull back quickly. He shared a side look with Nico, both of them quickly drawing the same conclusion. Before they got a chance to say anything sirens could be heard rapidly coming closer.

In a flash of lights and loud noises police and EMTs all descended on them. Parker handed off the man who attacked Levi and joined his fellow interns as they watched their friend get loaded onto a gurney, Nico’s hand never leaving his.

“... blow to the head, potential nasal fracture, patient is complaining of abdominal pain due to blunt trauma. He needs a CT and an ultrasound when he arrives. I’ll have Dr. Amelia Shepherd waiting,” Link was barking out at the EMTs as Nico jumped into the rig with Levi. “I’ll drive your car back to the hospital,” he called out again, this time to Nico who gave a barely noticeable nod of understanding. As the doors closed, Nico’s eyes never left Levi.

When they got to the hospital everything moved quickly, as if in fast forward. Dr. Hunt and Dr. Shepherd met the rig in the ambulance bay and rushed to get Levi off for scans. Just as Nico was about to cross the threshold and join them in radiology Owen stopped him.

“I know you’re worried, but right now you aren’t a doctor. Right now you are a family member. A family member who needs to contact some other family members and let the doctor’s do their job. You know we will have the best team on this, understood?” He spoke calmly, his hand flat on Nico’s chest to prevent forward motion.

Nico found himself unable to verbalize his response. He wanted to argue and fight that Levi needed him and that he could be an asset on the case, but he knew he was far too distracted to focus. All he ended up doing was nodding before turning and walking away from the double doors and back toward the waiting room.

As he sat in the chair he knew there was a plethora of things he should be doing. He should be contacting Levi’s mom, he could easily get her number from the hospitals records. She needed to know so she could be there for her son. But he had also never met her; he and Levi had been discussing, and arguing, about when was the right time to meet the families. Nico was far more ready for that move than Levi was. As he sat there staring at his phone and trying to figure out his best course of action, he barely noticed a presence coming and sitting next to him.

Turning slightly he noticed Link had come to sit with him. The other man offered no words of comfort or wisdom, just lent his silent support.

The chair on the other side of him squeaked, alerting him that another person had joined him and Link. Shifting slightly to see who it was, Nico wasn’t surprised to see Taryn Helm silently sitting there. Nico was familiar with the friendship his boyfriend had with the other intern. Nico liked her well enough, he didn’t know her personally but he appreciated how she supported Levi through his self-admitted “stupid phase” after the elevator event.

What he didn’t expect was the rest of the interns to fall in line after her. His eyebrow raised ever so slightly as Qadri and Parker took seats next to Taryn.

“Any news yet?” Taryn asked.

“They took him for imaging,” Link said, answering for Nico who found himself unable.

“Good,” Taryn said, her voice cracking ever so slightly at the end. Qadri silently took her hand to comfort her. “I shouldn’t have made him to come out,” she said softly, not really speaking to anyone but herself.

“The only person who was at fault is that homophonic prick,” Parker spoke from Qadri’s side. “Schmitt will come out of this fine,” he continued, but everyone could hear the slightly doubt in his voice.

Sure, medically, they all knew that he had a very good chance at a full recovery. But the mental struggle ahead of him was something else entirely.

“What is going on here?” A voice asked from their right. All five looked up to meet the eyes of Chief Alex Karev. “Why are you all here? And why does everyone look like someone kicked their puppy?”

Link jumped to his feet and took the chief aside, whispering softly and swiftly. He didn’t want what happened spread around the hospital unnecessarily. Those left in the waiting room watched how an angry fire was lit in Alex Karev’s eyes before the other man nodded and walked off quickly.

The five sat quietly, unable to reply find the words while they waited for news on Levi’s condition.


	5. Incoming Mama

It seemed like forever before Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Grey walked up to the anxious five. Nico was the first to notice their presence and jumped to his feet before his brain could process his movement.

“How is he?” He rushed out.

“Schmitt will be fine. There was significant bleeding in his abdomen from the blunt force trauma. FAST ultrasound showed that he had a grade III tear in his spleen. Because we caught it early we were able to successfully do an arterial embolization and save the organ. He’s in recovery now and will be set up in a room once he is ready,” Meredith said, watching the tension dance across the Ortho Fellow’s face as he explained the emergency surgery she had performed. She understood his relief, although it wasn’t official to everyone in the hospital, she had drawn the conclusion between Schmitt’s confession in the OR the other day and the subtle looks between the two men. She was happy they had found each other, especially because it seemed to be improving both of their sets of work.

“As for his other injuries, his nose was set but will be sore and bruised for a while. We were able to get him in for a CT scan, the scan showed he has a slight concussion and we will be following protocol overnight to monitor him. He is going to be sore for a while, but he’ll be okay,” Amelia finished. As she looked in Nico’s eyes she was a little taken back by the tears gathered in the corners.

“Thank you,” he said, wanting to hug the two women but deciding it wasn’t appropriate to try.

“Did you get in touch with his mother?” Meredith asked, now that Nico knew he would be okay she figured it was a good idea to ask. If she hadn’t been contacted that would be her next task.

“I called her, she’s visiting her sister a few towns over. She’ll be here by midnight,” Link said. He had taken a moment to take care of that for Nico while they waited, knowing the other man was in no condition to make that call.

“Good, now, why don’t you guys go home. Shower, change, get something to eat. Schmitt will be out of it for a while and you can visit in the morning,” Amelia said.

“With all due respect, I’m not going anywhere,” Nico said firmly. He had clothes in his locker, he could shower here, there were plenty of vending machines. He wasn’t going to go home, not without Levi.

“We’d like to stay too, just until he’s awake,” Helm said softly.

“I can’t stop you from staying, nor would I even try, but don’t crowd his room. He needs the rest,” Meredith said, cutting off whatever Shepherd might have been about to say. “Room 1453,” she added.

Nico nodded, trying to convey his gratitude through a small smile, before walking off in the direction of that room. Link nodded towards the two attendings and took off after his fellow.

~*~

“Hold up there loverboy,” Link said when he finally caught up to Nico, grabbing Nico’s upper arm to stop him.

“I just need to see him. I know they said he’s okay, but I need to see that he’s okay,” Nico insisted.

“I get that, I really do. And I promise you can see him... as soon as you shower and change,” Link said, gesturing ever so slightly to the blood on Nico’s hands and clothing. “Schmitt doesn’t like blood, especially his own. So just clean up and I’ll make sure there is a chair waiting for you,” Link finished with a gentle pat on the back.

Nico looked down at his hands for a moment, bloody hands that had been holding Levi’s warm and whole body only hours ago, and he felt tears gather in the corner of his eyes. How did their night go so far south so quickly?

“Hey, he’s okay. He’s going to be okay. You heard what they said, he’s even keeping his spleen,” Link said, seeing the drastic change in his friends face.

“He doesn’t deserve this, this crap. Who the fuck gave that guy the right to judge, to dare put his hand on another person?” Nico said, anger blooming alongside his sadness.

“Let the cops deal with him. The only person you have to think about right now is Schmitt. You are going to need to be there for him,” Link said. He knew his friend was hurting, and unfortunately he couldn’t understand exactly what he was going through. All he knew was that he could be there and support Nico and be his strength as Nico supported Levi.

Nico looked like he wanted to argue his point further but all of a sudden the fire in him seemed to drain and he turned abruptly and marched off towards the fellows lounge on 3.

After one of the quickest showers he had ever taken, Nico found himself dressed in scrubs and sitting on a bench in the lounge. He didn’t have his spare set of clothes in his locker, having wore them home the other day when his first set got soaked in the rain on the way in. His whole body thrummed with the motion necessary to get on his feet and go see Levi but his head was scrambling. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him as he flashed between angry, devastated, sad, worried, and anxious. He wanted some inner peace before he went to see Levi, he wouldn’t project his feelings on the other man who needed to focus on nothing else but healing.

Nico was so caught up in his momentary thoughts that he missed the sound of the door to the fellow lounge opening.

“Kim,” he heard a deep voice call his name and shake him out of his stupor. He head shot up and he was surprised to see the gentle eyes of the Chief looking back at him.

“Schmitt is settled into his room and resting comfortably. I want to talk to you if you have a second. Link is there with him right now in case he wakes before you get up there,” Chief Karev said, waiting for Nico’s small nod before continuing. “I called a buddy at the precinct. The guy who attacked Schmitt is being let out in the morning. Apparently the cops are ignoring the fact that he committed a hate crime, they are claiming it was a drunken bar dispute. It’ll be up to Schmitt to press charges if he wants to. I got them to fax over his picture and I’ve distributed it among the security guards and at all the nurses stations on Schmitt’s floor. I don’t think he’ll dare come here, but if he does we have it covered.”

Nico cleared his throat before responding, “Thank you.”

“The cops suck. But we take it very serious here. Neither of you have anything to worry about while you are within the walls of this hospital. And if you EVER,” he emphasized the word, “feel as though someone is discriminating against you in ANY was, you find me.”

Although Nico had been out for a while, and had a multitude of jobs throughout his career, this statement filled his whole body with a foreign feeling. Sure, his previous jobs had said outwardly that they did not discriminate based on race, gender, or sexual orientation, but this was the first time he truly felt reassured of the fact.

“Thank you Chief, that means a lot. To both of us,” he said, his voice thick with more emotion than he would have liked.

“You can just call me Alex right now,” Karev said, waiting for Nico to nod in affirmation before holding the door open wider as a gesture that it was time to go.

Nico stood, feeling slightly stronger than he had before, and followed Alex out of the lounge and towards Levi’s room. When he got there, the first thing he noticed through the room’s glass window was the fact that Levi was still sleeping. The next thing he noticed was that Link was sitting vigilantly at his bedside watching his monitors. Nico smiled, Link really was a very loyal and true friend.

“He should be coming out of the anesthesia soon,” Alex commented as they approached the doorway. His statement alerted Link that others were joining him and he turned his head quickly to make sure they were friend, not foe.

“He’s on a low dose of Tramadol, if the pain is too much for him alert a nurse. They have been instructed by Dr. Grey to get her immediately so they can control his pain,” Link said, dutifully repeating the information Meredith had provided him earlier while Nico was showering.

“Thanks,” Nico breathed out, approached Levi’s bed. Link rose so Nico could take his seat at Levi’s side. As soon as he was settled in the chair he reached out to gently grab Levi’s hand. Link grasped his shoulder briefly before walking out of the room, Alex leaving with him to give the two some privacy.

“Whenever you’re ready to rejoin us, you have a lot of people who want to make sure you’re okay,” Nico said softly, not really sure what to talk about but also not wanted to sit in silence. “Helm, Qadri, and Parker are in the waiting room. I’m sure Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepherd will be by to check on you. Hell, even Chief Karev is looking out for you. You have a lot of people who love and care for you who can’t wait to see you awake and bumbling around again. I love and care for you.” The last statement came out softly, barely a whisper as he shared information that he would never have uttered if Levi had been awake. He was ready to tell Levi how much he loves him, he just wasn’t sure if Levi was ready to hear it.

His eyes focused on Levi’s unblemished hand in his, the pale fingers laying limply within his strong grasp. He could feel the warmth coming from the touch of their skin and it reassured him of his presence and that he was okay. His thumb began to gently rub the back of Levi’s hand in a comforting gesture. “Wake up babe, so I can see those beautiful eyes of yours that I love so much,” he whispered before leaning down to press a kiss to the back of his hand.

Time seemed to pass slowly as Nico sat and waited. A few doctors has popped their heads in to see if he had woken up or to check on Nico. One of those had been Taryn, who was coasting on the line of wanting to be with Levi to make sure he was okay and wanting to give Nico time with him. She had made sure to bring Levi’s spare pair of glasses that he kept in his locker at the hospital, knowing they would have removed his contacts prior to surgery and that he would want them when he woke up.

Nico’s eyes were trained on those glasses when he felt a twitch in the hand he was holding. Focusing on Levi’s face, Nico noticed the subtle signs of him waking up.

“Hey, welcome back,” Nico said softly, knowing that with the concussion and the anesthesia wearing off Levi was bound to be disoriented. He rose to his feet and gently place the glasses on Levi’s face, being very careful of his bruises. He brushed back the curls that had fallen on his forehead and placed a gentle kiss on his unbruised temple. “I’m so happy your awake.”

“Ni...” Levi started to say, his throat scratchy and dry.

“Hold on, open up for some ice chips,” Nico said, quickly offering the cool relief with his fingers as he sat back down at his bedside. Levi accepted the offering with gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you for waking up,” he said, not planning to say it out-loud but it somehow slipped out anyway.

“You’re welcome?” Levi said softly. “What...” he swallowed, “what happened?”

“Don’t worry about that right now. All you need to know is you are safe and you’ll be back on your feet in no time,” Nico said, his free hand coming up to brush Levi’s forehead tenderly while the other kept slowly feeding ice chips.

As he continued to slowly stroke his face lovingly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Thinking it was just another friend in the hospital checking in on how Levi was doing or asking if he was awake yet, he decided to ignore it.

Moments later he wished he hadn’t ignored that buzzing as an older looking woman came rushing into the room. Nico looked up startled, not letting go of Levi’s hand as he turned toward the unknown woman. She was followed by Link, who shot Nico an apologetic look as she burst into the room.

“Mom?” Levi said groggily, he was slightly shocked by her presence but also struggling to stay awake. He felt so tired, he knew it was the lingering effect of the anesthesia and the pain meds he was undoubtedly on, but he also knew he had to stay awake for whatever was about to happen between his unknowing mother and his boyfriend.

Hearing what Levi said, Nico made an attempt to pull his hand back.

Knowing Levi wasn’t out to his mom yet, Nico wanted to give Levi the chance to keep this secret for a little while longer. To his surprise Levi gripped his hand tighter, preventing him from moving away.

“A doctor... Lint, maybe that was his name, called me and said you had been attacked!” She exclaimed, ignoring Nico’s presence and coming up to the other side of Levi’s bed, immediately attempting to fuss over him.

“I... ” Levi began, happy his mom was here but also unsure of how to handle the situation he had found himself in.

“Are you Dr. Lint?” Mrs. Schmitt asked, looking at Nico for the first time since entering the room. The other man wasn’t sure what to say exactly, his hand still holding Levi’s.

“Um no...” he began. “My name is Dr. Nico Kim. I’m an orthopedic fellow here at the hospital. Levi and I work together and are friends,” he supplied, seeing Levi’s thankful gaze out of the corner of his eye. Of course he would love to tell Levi’s mother how much he loved her son, he’s love to tell her son that too, but it was too soon for Levi and he understood that.

“It’s so nice to meet you Dr. Kim, my name is Beth Schmitt,” she said kindly.

“I’m Doctor Link, or Doctor Lincoln. I’m also a co-worker of Levi’s. I called you earlier,” Link said, strolling in to relieve some of the awkward tension that was filling the room.

“Thank you for calling me, you mentioned an attack. What happened?!” She said, looking between the two men and her son for answers.

“Levi ended up a victim of a drunk’s rage at a local bar,” Link said slowly, trying to give details without revealing too much information.

“My poor baby,” Beth exclaimed, fussing over Levi once again. Levi tried to assure her he was fine but his body felt exhausted and everything was starting to ache again.

Nico, who was extremely in-tune with everything Levi, noticed the lines of pain developing by the corner of his eyes.

“Where does it hurt,” he said, trying to take a clinical approach even though he wanted to fuss as much as Levi’s mother was.

“Everything is... sore... achy,” Levi provided, unable to better explain it.

“We can up the dose of Tramadol. But your body also needs rest. You’re alert enough that I feel comfortable doing that and allowing you to get some more sleep,” Meredith said coming into the room to check on him. She did a quick scan to read everyone’s expression, including Levi’s, and felt a twinge of sadness for the man in the bed. She could tell he was wildly uncomfortable and could only conclude that his mother didn’t know about his relationship with Nico, let alone any man.

Levi weighed his options and although he knew it was a cowardice option he whispered, “please.”

Meredith nodded before administering the dose. The three doctors and Levi’s mother watched as the pain lines smoothed out and his eyes closed.

“Mrs. Schmitt I presume. My name is Dr. Meredith Grey, I was the doctor who operated on your son. We repaired a tear in his spleen and stitched up a cut on his head as well as setting his broken nose. He’s going to be sore and tired for a while, but he’s going to be fine,” she said.

“Thank you Doctor,” Beth said, never moving from her spot next to Levi. “And thank you all for being such good friends to my boy,” she finished.

Link could see the internal struggle going through his friend. He knew how badly Nico didn’t want to leave Levi’s side, but with his mom present and with her not knowing the details of their relationship, it would have raised too many questions.

“Nico, come with me to get something to eat,” he said, his heart breaking slightly as the panicked look Nico gave him at the suggestion. “You can stretch your legs, get a muffin and some coffee, and we can check back later if that’s alright with you Mrs. Schmitt.”

“Oh of course, after all you are my Levi’s friends,” she said with a motherly smile.

Nico forced himself to stand and to walk out with Link, even though every fiber of his body was fighting him with every step.


	6. The Light at the end of the Tunnel

Levi woke with a start. He couldn’t remember the exact details of his dream but the lingering panic that raced through his body remained. He looked to the side frantically, hoping he would see his personal knight in dark blue scrubs but the seat he once occupied was empty.

“Shhh baby, mom is here,” he heard from the opposite side of the bed. His head snapped the other way and his mother came into view. “Hey there, how are you feeling?”

“Okay I guess,” Levi said, his eyes moving back towards the empty seat. “Um... where did Nico, I mean Dr. Kim, go?” He asked, trying to keep the longing out of his voice.

“The other doctor, Dr. Lint took him to get some coffee and food, hopefully some fresh air. He looked quiet a state,” she replied.

“Link,” Levi commented, correcting her without thinking.

“Oh yes,” she laughed, “there have been so many people here to see you, so many people have introduced themselves, I’m having a rough time remembering them all. Did you know that girl whose ID I found on the floor of you bedroom so long ago is married now? To the Chief no less! Such a sweet girl too, offered to get me some food or coffee. And of course your intern friends were here, Taryn will be coming over for dinner soon, I invited her,” His mom continues going on, not noticing the quizzical look on Levi’s face.

“Jo came to see me?” He asked, stuck on the fact that she seemed to care enough to show up, in fact he was shocked most of those people showed up. Why would they?

“Oh her and probably about 100 others. Doctors, nurses, and a bunch of other people who didn’t really explain themselves very well. You have so many friends here, why don’t you bring them around more?” Beth said.

“I... I don’t know?” Levi said, feeling so confused. He didn’t know who his mom thought were his friends, but he knew the one person he did want back wasn’t here.

“It’s nice, to see that you are cared about by so many people. When you were in high school I worried. You had those three friends and they were the only ones I ever saw with you. I thought you didn’t know how to make friends! And I know you tried to hide the bullying that you experience but a mother always knows when something is wrong with her baby. I hated how you had no one to stick up for you back then. But here, here you have so many people. You really have blossomed into such a lovable young man that has touched so many people,” Beth said, cupping his cheek lovingly.

“Thanks?” Levi said, not sure if he should be happy about the compliments his mom was offering or offended that his mom didn’t think he knew how to make friends.

“Meaningful connections help make this life worth living to it’s fullest my dear son, and that is all a mother ever hopes for her child to find. Someone to share all of life’s wonderful moments with, in the good times and bad. I’m happy you seem to have found that,” she continued absentmindedly, dancing around the topic she really wanted to breach with Levi with a sly smile gracing her face.

“I have?” Levi was beginning to wonder if the drugs were effecting his mental state because in his head his mother wasn’t making sense.

“I’ve read the books, I know I’m supposed to let you come out on your own and tell you that I love you always and regardless. And I think you know that I love you no matter what because I have always supported you in every venture you have taken on. But did you really expect me to miss the fact that you have been desperately searching for the man who was holding your hand and feeding you ice chips when I walked in?” Beth deadpanned, looking her son in the eyes with a raised eyebrow.

“What? I mean... Nico and I...” Levi sputtered, trying to find the words and also decide which words he was looking for all at once.

“He seems like a lovely young man and if he is the reason you have been happier these past 4 months than I couldn’t be happier for you,” Beth continued.

“You knew? That I was... that I was gay?” Levi whispered the last word, afraid to meet his mom’s eyes as he confessed the only thing he had ever been afraid to tell her in his whole life.

“Oh baby, I’ve known for a while I think. You always had such a strange obsession with those Lord of the Rings movies... and there aren’t really many ladies in that movie,” she joked. “But you needed to figure things out on your own.”

“I didn’t do it on my own. Nico, he helped,” Levi said, blushing slightly as he remembered yelling at Nico about it being a teaching hospital.

“I’m glad he was there for you,” she said. She lifted his hand up to her lips and gently kissed it. “I love you, and nothing is ever going to change that.”

“I love you too mom,” Levi responded, traitorous tears coming to his eyes.

It was this scene that Nico walked in on, coffee in each hand. “I didn’t know how you liked your coffee Mrs. Schmitt, so I brought it black with those little creamers and sugars,” he was saying as he walked in, focused on not dropping or spilling any of the hot liquid in his hands.

“Thank you Nico,” Beth said, standing to grab one of the two to make it easier on the other man.

At that point Nico’s attention was freed to look up and he saw the tears on Levi’s face. “Are you in pain? Are you okay?” He asked, rushing to Levi’s side and checking his vitals. “You’re heart rate spiked a few times, are you having any chest pain?”

“Nico I’m fine,” Levi said, trying to get the man’s attention. Nico was so hyper-focused on making sure Levi wasn’t dying of a heart attack that he barely heard what the smaller man said.

In order to get his attention, Levi grabbed his hand and gripped in strongly, pulling the other man slightly to get his full attention.

“I’m fine, my mother just dropped a preverbal bomb on me,” Levi said once he had his undivided attention.

“Huh?” Nico said, not catching on.

“Nico, I’d like to formally introduce you to my mother, Beth Schmitt,” Levi began. He saw Nico was about to interrupt and squeezed his hand to quiet him. “Mom, this is Dr. Nico Kim, Orthopedic God and my boyfriend.”

Nico turned his shocked expression between the two members of the Schmitt family and was met with matching smiles.

“So happy to meet you Nico, thank you for taking care of and loving my boy,” she said, coming around the bed to open her arms and embrace him.

“He’s easy to love,” Nico whispered to her. “Thank you.”

Levi watched his mother hug his boyfriend and felt a sense of warmth run through him. He knew he had a lot ahead of him. He had to heal both mentally and physically. He knew, deep down, that he would have to process being attacked and that would take time. But he also knew he had a support system the size of a hospital and they would be there for him. Even more importantly he had the two most important people in his life, his mom and his boyfriend, to help him through all the difficulties that may lay ahead. For the first time in a long time, Levi didn’t feel so alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to get this out before the next episode! Hope everyone enjoyed!!


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